Rebellious
by SlytherinElektra
Summary: Loki is cursed with humanity and banished to New York. People have a field him with the powerless guy, doing all sorts of bad things to him. When Steve finds him, he is in a terrible - horrible state. But he's also feeling a bit rebellious. Steve and Loki being kinda friends, with much whump and sick!Loki.
1. Chapter 1

Corruption.

It made Steve's skin crawl.

It made his blood boil.

The institutions he'd once held as the paradigm of morality were now betraying him, one by one. Executives that took money from institutions for themselves, soldiers that had fun torturing prisoners, humiliating them and then taking pictures with the poor souls. Cops that let their friends go even when they knew they were guilty, soldiers that treated their fellow female coworkers poorly, bought judges, inspectors who framed innocent people just to get more cases closed. And it was everywhere, the stink of corruption.

That particular day Steve had seen some officers going after an unarmed kid, claiming that he looked suspicious. Such a prejudiced bunch. What was suspicious was how they never went after white rich kids from the good neighborhoods. Apparently being from a lower class or from the wrong side of town was enough to make you look suspicious.

injustice.

injustice that came from the very people that were supposed to deliver the opposite. It made him sick. And it made him angry.

And angry was Steve when he found him.

In a dirty dark alley, a tall man with torn clothes and teary eyes. He had his back against the wall and his arms protectively around his stomach. His black hair was dirty and it hurt him to even to think. It hurt to exist. He was a failure.

When he first arrived on earth, it was late night and Loki appeared in a very bad neighborhood. The locals made fun of his clothes and his way of speaking, and beat him up with baseball bats and american fists, leaving him in the verge of unconsciousness and wearing only his undergarments. Loki, unused to the weakness of his new mortal body and still trying to get use to the absence of magic was an easy prey. By the time he put his thoughts together, he was badly wounded.

He passed out on the street, between gang fights and junkies.

Some policeman found him.

He didn't like how much this guy looked that terrorist from a few years back, but he liked dealing with SHIELD and homeland security even less. Besides, he doubted the face of Loki of Asgard could swell that much. So he just gave the guy some clothes from lost and found and told him to leave his station, stat. He also advised him not to run into agents of the law again, or else he would be dead before anyone from his planet had the time to say anything. And they would make an spectacle of his death, too, like they did with other dictators. Say this was the good guys winning. Say people should be proud. Probably leak pictures of his dead body so people could celebrate.

The man seemed slightly sympathetic, so Loki told him he was hurt, and that his wounds weren't healing. He didn't know what to do.

The man told him he doubted he would get any medical attention without money and documentation, but gave him the address of some places of charity.

Charity.

He who had been a prince and a god.

But the days passed and he was hungry, oh so very hungry, and none of the more dignified places would accept him, with his cheap clothes, untreated injuries, dirty hair. They suspected him of being there to steal, or simply said that filthy people like him were not accepted in the establishment. The dirtiness had become an issue after the gang that beat him up left him on the dirty floor when he passed out.

So he he ended up going to a soup kitchen, (he, who had been a god and a prince) hoping some food would clear his mind. He had some soup while everybody looked at him with condescension.

Before he was over, a man recognized him and beat him up. Again. Screaming that because of him he was homeless, because of him he had nothing. The owner of the place threw both of them out, told them never to come back. Loki's wounds were acquiring a very nasty appearance. He slept in a park the next couple of days, and ate the leftovers of hot dogs and pop corn.

His mind was every day more foggy, clouded by hunger and loneliness and the ever-worsening fever from his infected wounds. He tried cleaning himself in a fountain, but he was thrown out.

_Crazy hobo_, _get out of there_.

He, who had been a prince and a god.

One night, a man opened his car door while he was walking down a street, told him to jump in. Loki thought he had finally found a good soul, someone who had seen his tragic state and wanted to help. But then the man asked what his fare was, and drove to a deserted corner. Loki understood a little too late that this man meant to have sex with him for money. Meant to defile him, he, who had been a prince and a god. But when he told the man he wouldn't, the man, obviously drunk, got violent and hit him in the face. Said he was going to have him want it or not.

_You're too pretty not to fuck._ He said. _And I'm in charge here, little pretty._

He punched Loki in the stomach, leaving him breathless. Loki was desperate now - there was no way he could out power this man, not in his weakened state. There were tears in his eyes, tears of pure misery. He couldn't let this man do that to him, but he was locked in that car and felt defenseless. He hated it, hated his body, hated this place and hated all the misery life kept throwing at him. The man's hands were sweaty and hurt. It hurt so fucking much.

In one last desperate move, Loki searched for the way to unlock the doors and found it. While seeming apparently resigned to take what was coming to him he waited for a moment. His moment. While the man was busy undoing his pants, Loki quickly got out, and ran. Ran for his life. Ran because he knew what was coming to him if he didn't- Ran and ran and ran. He'd always been quick. He realised now that if he hadn't been... Well, better not to think. When he was sure of having lost the man, he sat on an alley, with his back on the wall.

And there he was, on a dark alley, trying not to weep, hungry, thirsty, broken. He, who had been -

He, who was finally getting what he deserved. He, who was a shadow of who he used to be. He, who was being shown how worthless he was.

The Captain saw that the man he had found was in a wretched state.

And then he recognized him. Loki.

But he looked almost nothing like himself. His face was swollen - one of the eyes was swollen shut and his bottom lip was cut in several was incredibly pale, except for a slight fever flush that was almost completely covered by the dirt on his face. He held himself limply and was obviously in pain. He was only wearing some old and torn khaki pants and a holed up cotton black shirt. He was shivering, but Steve couldn't know if it was because he was sick or because he was cold. The evil intent and the superiority were gone from his eyes. The was only misery left. And pain. So much pain.

Steve was rooted to the spot, frozen, speechless. He really didn't know what to do. He'd wanted to help the poor soul before he realised who he was - but now he wasn't so sure. He simply didn't know what to do.

After a while, recognition dawned in Loki's glassy eyes, too.

"Captain... have you come to arrest me? I regret not having any flashy moves this time, then."

"What happened to you?" Asked Steve. He wanted to know before making any decision.

"Well, Captain, I was punished to come to this planet... without my magic and my power...and" Gosh, speaking so many words together was harder than Loki had thought. "I am nothing but an unidentified homeless person with no money. Your city doesn't have the kindest of treatments with that sort of people."

"You mean... civilians did this to you? New Yorkers?"

"Yeah, some young civilians... and some police officers ... a couple of shopkeepers... another, what was the term... hobo? And a man who... well, another man."

His eyes were sad as he kept speaking. It was good to have someone who listened, even if it was an enemy that would probably send him to his death.

"People don't believe it when I say I am Loki anymore. They think now I'm a _crazy_ homeless person. At least you believe me, do you not, Captain? Even if you will send me to death at the hands of your justice. At least, I'll die with my name."

Steve thought about it, while letting Loki speak.

"They will make a good show of it, too. Of my... execution. And they will make you... the hero, the american hero that... that stopped the dangerous terrorist and brought him to the good guys... who very deservedly sentenced me to death. But I guess death will be... better than this."

Steve looked at the man, barely able to move, but still speaking, still thinking. Another person would have already given up. But Loki was still there. Still bitter.

He wasn't surprised. From what he heard, when Thor was in the same situation he got shelter, food and company. But Thor appeared in a small town, not New York. And New York had abused Loki - used him as a punching bag, as the butt of a joke. Part of Steve wanted to make up for it, show Loki that there was more to New York than that, more than gangs and corrupt cops and people who told him he was nothing but a crazy hobo.

"So, you don't have any of your powers?" Steve asked, trying to be as cautious as possible.

"If I did, do you think I... would've allowed myself to be in this situation?"

"Probably not."

"Captain, I've had mortals pit on my face. Trust me, if I had only... traces of my magic I would not be this dirty... But I am weak. An easy prey."

That was true. He'd been an easy prey for all the scum that roamed on the streets of the city. And they had taken advantage of it. All of them. They attacked.

As they would if he handed Loki over to Fury, Steve was sure. They would interrogate him and possibly torture the guy if they didn't get the answers they wanted. And yes, why not, make a show of Loki's trial and execution, probably one of the fastest of the last years. They would win.

And that day Steve didn't want them to win.

Maybe it was a temporary thing, maybe he would regret it later - but at that moment he didn't want to turn Loki in. Now, he would take him to his own prison, a place with morals, a place where prisoners were fed and bathed, were they could keep their dignity like every human should. No torture, no humiliation.

A place were American values were respected. His place. His house.

"Loki, can you walk?"

"I can try. Why, were do you mean to take me?"

"My home." Loki frowned. Why would the Captain do such a thing? "Let's just say I'm angry with my bosses, and helping you might help me get back at them."

So Steve held out a hand, and Loki hesitantly took it, trying to get up.

Two hands entwined, one dirty, one clean.

Two smiles.

They felt like two rebels.

A/N: Had this an ao3 but I don't do well having various accounts. Hope you liked, and don't worry and I have Torment and Hospitality almost ready to update too. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Loki could hardly walk, but Steve helped him.

The Asgardian was leaning on the blonde, who had a hand on Loki's waist to hold him up. Part of him was scared that somebody would see him walking down with a terrorist, because he wasn't just a person, he was an Avenger. He was supposed to be a symbol of all that was good, a symbol of everything good of America. And not be helping terrorists, but stopping them instead. On the plus side, there was little chance that anybody recognized Loki in his current state. If everybody looked they would only see the Captain of America helping out an injured hobo.

So, no problem, right?

Loki was still cold and his head was still on fire. He didn't know if he was walking into a trap. Most probably. But it couldn't get much worse, right? He'd been punched in the face by a mortal who'd wanted to fuck him. He really doubted the soldier out of time could do much worse. They weren't very far from Steve's place, but to Loki, the way was eternal.

When they finally got there, Loki collapsed onto a couch and almost fell asleep right in that moment. Something soft, at last, after so many days on the hard ground. Even prison had been better than those horrible homeless days. And feeling the wounds slowly infecting, and hearing the insults, and getting dirty. Every day more dirty. And the Captain's place was not luxurious, but at least it wasn't as cold as the street. He closed the eye he could still move. It was so welcoming, the darkness - but a voice stopped his thoughts.

Of course, he wasn't alone. Shouldn't forget that so soon.

"Loki, I... perhaps you should clean yourself a bit before sleeping, don't you think?"

The god looked up, surprised. The Captain seemed serious about it, and had some clean clothes in his hands. Could this be true? Where was the tricks? Was Rogers going to call the police while he was cleaning himself?

"Here, let me show you where the shower is."

Loki went there, with hesitant steps. He breathed heavily while the mortal showed him how to operate the shower. Water. He was going to let him be cleaned. For real.

"... you understand?"

There was a lone tear falling from his good eye. This felt like such a luxury, after his time on the street.

"Thank you, Captain. You are a good man."

Steve smiled. He hadn't seen gratitude like this in a long time, despite his line work including saving the world. And he had only offered the guy a shower. He wondered what kind of hell he'd lived since he got to Earth. It was probably better not to know.

"Ok, I'll leave these clothes for you to change and leave you to it. Enjoy your shower."

And so he left the room.

He felt strange, leaving Loki alone in his room like that. But he doubted he would do much damage - and whatever he did, he was prepared. He had his shield ready, his fist, everything. Plus, Thor had been in London and there hadn't been any Loki incidents on Earth. He counted that as a plus.

But if Loki was planning something, he wouldn't get Steve easily this time. He was a good Samaritan, yes, but everything had its limits. There was a line that shouldn't be crossed. A line of evilness. But that seemed to be on his thoughts in that moment.

Loki was enjoying his shower immensely. He took away all the dirt that had gathered with the days. The heat of the water cleansed away all his self-hatred, all the disgust. No more dirty homeless unidentified person. No more. He was back to being Loki.

When he came out, Steve saw that Loki looked like a different person. More like him and less like the crazy hobo that was on the street. Not only he was cleaner, he seemed also suddenly taller, more determined. He knew who he was again. A god, even without his powers. Someone important.

You could see better that it was him, even through the swollen face and the cuts and bruises. But the signs of who he was were there again: the shining black hair, the marble skin, the posture. He was limping, yes, but he was back to being himself. Criminal crazy Loki. He looked at the Captain with his good eye, proud, dignified. He was not going to be cornered again, treated like an animal. Not going to be led into a trap. He was Loki, of Asgard, and he still had some tricks on his sleeve - and now he had sleeves again. The clothes Steve had lent him (a light blue cotton shirt and some black pants) were baggy on him, but he wore them with grace.

Steve wondered what he had gotten himself into.

"You look much better." he said, with a small smile.

Loki smiled right back.

"Captain, I had never realized how luxurious hygiene can be. Never take it for granted."

"I don't."

Steve had been an orphan in the 1940's and then he'd been at a war.

He knew what was to be dirty.

He knew he should be grateful for every shower.

Loki looked around, as if uncomfortable, and then looked determined at his savior.

"Now, this has been lovely and I am profoundly appreciative of all your help, but now if you could show me to somewhere to rest I would be most thankful..."

Steve smiled. He'd been suspicious when Loki started talking, but now he saw that the guy only wanted a bed. People's necessities were universal, a you could be a royal alien that you needed a bed all the same.

"Not before I patch you up a bit. I'm not gonna let you ruin my sheets with all those bleeding wounds."

Loki was reluctant. Every time mortals touched him, they left wounds. He specially didn't want people touching him after the terrible incident with the man in the car, who had touched him so much. So much and so enthusiastically, with smelly, dirty hands. He had been so grabby reaching places of Loki that were always supposed to be private. He had touched him as if Loki was his property - as a toy to be played with. He remembered the man's sweaty touch and shivered. He had barely escaped. It disgusted him - made him nauseous.

At least the Captain seemed cleaner - and more honest. But still, he didn't want to be touched.

He also didn't want to be so helpless, at the mercy of a former enemy that could do with him as he pleased. He wanted to be stronger. But the man that had given him shelter had super-human strength, while he was even weaker than a regular mortal, plagued by disease and injury. The shower had invigorated him, really, but the thumping headache and the fevered flush remained there. Knowing that he was in no condition to fight, Loki let the Captain do as he asked, but keeping his guard up. He walked with the Captain, trying to ignore the pain shooting up from his leg. _You're better than this. Don't let him see you as an easy prey._

Steve knew he wasn't supposed to be doing this, knew he shouldn't give shelter and show kindness to an enemy - knew that if the roles were reversed he wouldn't have any help... (Or would he? This Loki seemed much more complex than the one they had once fought.) But he liked to think that he was better than that. And he liked to think he had a mind of his own, even if people treated him simply as the embodiment of a flag, of some pre-made old values - but he was more than that. He was Steve Rogers, and sometimes he could be unexpected.

He directed Loki to his small kitchen, where he had his first aid kit ready. He showed the god to the chair in front of his own and sat, while Loki continued to look suspicious from his good eye. It was logical. Just letting someone shower doesn't build a lot of trust, and Steve wasn't his friend, wasn't his ally.

The soldier started disinfecting the wounds, since Loki had done a wonderful job of cleaning them in the shower.

"So, Loki...What did you do to get punished like this?"

"I…. I impersonated Odin for some months, while keeping him locked up." Loki admitted, too tired to concoct a flashier lie.

"Just that?"

Steve had been expecting some massacre, some war-starting incident. Some murder, at least.

Loki drew a small smile, despite the disinfectant liquid stinging terribly in each of the wounds when Rogers applied it. God, how could these mortals leave all their lives with such flawed bodies? Ugh. He went back to the conversation.

"Nobody complained of my work as king while they thought I was Odin… but they did when the truth came to light. I do have a bit of a bad reputation among Asgardians."

"And that made your father angry." Steve continued, trying to distract the other man from him disinfecting his wounds - it had to be hurting like hell, but Loki hadn't moaned or complained. Not once.

"That man is not my father." There was a distant look in his eyes. Bottled up feelings. Destructive thoughts about oneself and others. Resentment. Depression. It was obviously a delicate issue. He continued talking. "But yes, I should have probably known by now that I shouldn't anger him... But what can I say. I have always been an agitator."

Steve smiled. It was a nice feeling, even if he tried to deny it, going against the establishment. Even if he usually was with the rules and governments, he had rebelled a few times in his life and remembered the sweet sensation it left.

"And how is Thor?" Steve asked because Thor had been in his team and had seemed a good guy.

A warrior, like him. Someone out of place, like him.

"He's doing some space jumping with his lady. _I can show you the world, I can show you every world_." Loki said, mimicking his brother's voice. "You know how these gods can be when they're trying to impress a lady."

Steve smiled, again. The guy was being so nice... and after all he'd been through he still had a sense of humor. It was admirable. He didn't look like he belonged in jail. But he did have a reputation of being extremely smart and good with words, maybe he was just messing with his mind. Rogers made a mental note not to forget who he was dealing with.

Then there was silence, but it was a nice companionable silence. The kind of thing you never got with Stark, because he was ALWAYS talking. Jesus. But Loki seemed to appreciate silence almost as much as he did.

He bandaged some of the wounds (carefully, oh so very carefully, as if afraid to break the other man) and put some cream on Loki's swollen black eye. That was all he could do.

"I'm sorry I don't have any antibiotics or something. I've just never got any infections since the serum."

Loki didn't seem to understand too well. Probably because he was tired, and dizzy and his head felt on fire. Following the conversation with Rogers had been a huge effort.

"Medication. For your illness." The Captain explained. "But I'm sure a long night's rest will do you much good."

Loki's face lit up at the prospect of sleeping.

They stood up and the Captain showed him to a bed. The Guest room, finally being used. Loki was happy - the happier he'd been since he arrived to that hell hole of a planet. He looked at his savior, grateful.

"Thank you for helping out this crazy hobo, Captain, you have been most kind. You have offered me dignity when the rest of the world forsook me. I thought you boring and simple-minded, and you have proven me wrong. I shall not forget it."

Steve smiled, feeling proud of himself.

"Don't mention it." He left, but after a while, he returned.

The soldier watched Loki for a while he slept, peaceful.

He knew he had to be careful. Not get attached. Remember his crimes. Or else he would end up not wanting to turn him to the authorities - ever.

A/N: Chapter two. More Loki whump and Steve/Loki friendship to come! Reviews brighten my day ^^


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